Howl at the Moon
by Fathom-x
Summary: Halloween FF: Rukia wakes up with no memories of what happened one night, displaying signs of a beast attack. When Ichigo leaves Rukia at the altar, she confronts him 6 months later. But the answer may cost her life. IchixRuki Lemons Ch-5: Fanged Hell
1. Prologue

**Title:** _**Howl at the Moon**_

**Disclaimers: **Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Warnings:** AU, OOC, Smut (of course, do I write anything else?)

**Genre: **Paranormal, Romance, Horror, Suspense, Contemporary

**Pairings:** Ichigo & Rukia

**Summary: **Halloween fiction. AU. Ichigo left Rukia proverbially at the altar. Months later, Rukia has finally been able to track down Ichigo's whereabouts to confront him on his reasons for shattering both their future idealistic dreams. Unknowingly, the answers she seeks may lead her further into danger from the very one she least expects it from.

**Setting:** To avoid confusion—for the purposes of this story, both Ichigo and Rukia are older and have already graduated from college. And the time period is placed in the contemporary era.

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**PROLOGUE**

o0o0o0o

**_- PRESENT TIME -_**

_The forest lay silent, knowing that a foreign intruder was amidst its domain. The only sound beyond the falling drops of rain ricocheting among the tree leaves that could be heard was the heavy breathing from the woman as she raced bare footed through the forest in unspeakable terror. An occasional broken branch marked her passage, despite her light footed steps. Her white sun dress flaunted her form in the dark, a homing beacon for her pursuer in the moonlight night. Not that her pursuer would need the extra visual aid, as its hyper sensitive nose could scent her from miles away._

_Lightning flickered, turning the shadows of the tall evergreen trees into eerie beastly figures with creeping limbs and long fingered claws. Rukia ran heedlessly along the foreign forest, looking for the best place to take cover; yet knowing instinctively that no place would be good enough to hide and disguise herself. _

_She was lost to civilization. There was no one to save her. She would probably die of exposure . . . or at its hands. Or rather its paws, claws, and canine jaws—a tempting midnight snack for the beast._

_A stream crossed her path, and some long-buried memory of some survival reality show surfaced . . . . Perhaps it wouldn't be able to track her if she walked through water. She was already soaked to the bone by the rain, but if she could hide her presence further . . . it was worth a try._

_Rukia quickly stepped into the dark flowing shallow waters. The cold water soothed her shoeless tender soles. Her impractical city sandals had long ago been lost in her mad dash to escape the horror she had left behind. She tried to hurry, but the large smooth mossy stones caused her feet to slip and slide about in purchase. _

_Straining, she tried to listen for the pad of a wolf's paws, but heard nothing. For a few brief moments, she allowed her fear to subside and imagined she'd bought herself some much needed time. However, the sensation on the back of her neck prickled with alert awareness. _

_Then she heard it. A splash downstream and the slowly escalating sound of an animal loping through the water closer to her destination._

_It had found her once again. _

_Rukia lunged back out of the stream and made a mad dash down a path between a meager crevice in the mountain up ahead. The way narrowed, and for a horrible moment, she thought she'd boxed herself into a dead end. Regardless, she relentlessly squeezed through the fissure, almost getting stuck in the process, despite her diminutive size. After successfully bypassing the paltry space, the forest opened beyond her. _

_However, the ground beneath her feet shifted before she could analyze the best route to continue her trek. She toppled into a pile of loose earth and leaves, rolling over and over, before she was able to halt her rapid uncontrolled descent. _

_Standing back up on trembling legs, she continued her trek to escape her pursuer. This time she sped on fleet feet, running down hill at a breakneck pace and winding around the occasional obstacle of a tree or shrub. _

_Upon reaching an open meadow she paused to catch her breath and waited for the stitch in her side to subside. Glancing about, she was in a meadow encircled by a grove of timeless redwood trees. Each of the tree trunks were wide, and their crown touched the clouds. _

_When the sounds of a wolf howling echoed through the air, it shattered her hopes of any reprieve and caused her to tremble anew. Startled by the sound of a brief brush of fur along a tree trunk nearby; she slipped on a clod of earth and tree roots, fell to the ground by a tree, glanced behind her—and saw that the wolf had somehow snuck up behind her without her noticing._

_Seeing it up close for the first time, Rukia's heart stilled in terror. It was an extremely large black furred wolf, almost the size of a miniature pony. It's hackles were raised as it stealthily stalked closer and closer to her. _

_She wasn't going to give up. She wasn't going to die. She inched backwards, her hands automatically scrambling blindly on the ground for any thing that could be used as a weapon. When her wandering hand ran across a thick branch, she immediately grasped it and swung at the slowly approaching wolf. It leaped on top of her to knock her flat to the earth. Grasping the branch between its vicious canine jaws, it ripped the offending weapon away from her hand in annoyance._

_Before Rukia knew it, she found herself nose to muzzle with a snarling wolf. It straddled her body, it's body trembling with fury, white fangs bared, and its intently hungry amber orbs eyed her like a tasty morsel._

_As she fought for breath, her chest heaved. Like a magnet to a lodestone, the wolf's gaze wandered downward and growled warningly. Slowly its head dipped, and it ran its tongue from the base of her throat to her chin. Again. And again._

_Helpless tears dripped soundlessly from the corner of her eyes. How did it all come to this? _

"_Ichigo, what happened to you?" she whispered heart achingly. _

_Resigning herself completely to her fate, she lifted both her hands and spasmodically clenched her fingers in the soft black fur along its neck. In some ways, she was glad that she was with him in her last moments of life at least._

_Any minute she expected his teeth to close over her windpipe and crush it. Then he would rip out her throat, drag her body into the forest where it would never be found . . . ._

o0o0o0o

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**A/N: **

Please review and let me know what you thought of the prologue and its premise.

It's a short chapter because I've split up the one-shot it originally was written in, for easier readability. It'll be around a total of 5 chapters.

**Next Chapter:** "Living in Limbo." Rukia, 48 hours prior to the prologue.

For those following my on-going multi-chaptered story, "_**Dream of Me**_", expect update delays. Because my wrist and forearm pain flared up again, my off work computer time has been severely limited. Hopefully, new chapter updates will resume after Halloween. In the meantime, I will be slowly releasing my Halloween short story in its place.

Fathom


	2. Living in Limbo

**Title:** _**Howl at the Moon**_

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**Living in Limbo**

_o0o0o0o_

**KUCHIKI ESTATE  
**

_**- 24 HOURS AGO - **_

Coming home after a long hard day of work at the office, Rukia walked through the foyer of the Kuchiki family estate, mentally and physically exhausted only to be informed by the butler of an important message from her brother. Apparently, her brother, Byakuya needed to speak with her as soon as she arrived home.

Handing her suitcase and purse to a waiting servant, she sighed tiredly and headed towards Byakuya's den. Time flew by so fast. Six months had passed since the other part of her heart had gone missing, and before she knew it—November would be rolling around the corner in under 2 days. Ever since that fateful day, Rukia had been listlessly going through all the motions of life like an automaton. Everything was at a standstill, and nothing really mattered to her anymore. There was a gaping whole in her heart, and each day that passed drew her further and further into despair.

It was several minutes, before she arrived at her destination due to the vastness of the estate. At the closed door, she politely knocked and waited for permission to enter. Receiving word, she softly opened the door and shut it behind her.

Byakuya was still studying some legal document line by line. Knowing who his visitor was without looking up, he waved absently to a chair in front of his desk gesturing her to sit.

Primly sitting in the chair with her hands folded on her lap, Rukia waited patiently for her brother to complete his task before addressing her. Not long after her entrance, the paperwork appeared to obviously meet with Byakuya's approval as he signed his name with an elegant flourish. Before turning his attention completely towards Rukia, he shuffled the loose papers neatly into one pile and placed them into another folder on his desk.

After setting aside his business work, Byakuya lifted his eyes to stare at Rukia. His eyes momentarily dropped towards her left hand before looking deeply into her eyes again as he asked, "It's been 6 months. Why won't you let him go?"

Rukia dropped her eyes pointedly toward her widowed brother's own ringed finger, and twisted her own diamond engagement ring in distress as she answered his question with a question of her own, "Would you have let Hisana go?"

There was a long telling pregnant pause, until Byakuya sighed "touché" under his breath, then replied simply with an adamant "no" to her question.

Raising an eyebrow in suspicion however, he asked, "Are you sure nothing happened between the two of you? As much as I disapproved of the boy; and despite his horrid lack of manners and his outrageously loud hair, he always wore his heart on his sleeve for you."

Her eyes darkened with distraught emotion before she could conceal it from the ever observant eyes of her brother who missed nothing. Visibly stilling her trembling fingers, she answered haltingly, "Of course not, nii-sama. For some unexplained reason he started acting strangely almost 7 months ago, and not long after . . . . He sent you that letter."

No personal goodbyes, just an unemotional letter canceling all their wedding plans with no explanation other than that he had finally realized the error of his ways, and he was no longer fit to be her husband.

Indubitably, she did understate Ichigo's erratic behavior before his disappearance to her brother. Ichigo had never enjoyed social crowds, but suddenly his dislike transmuted into something deeper and more . . . _vicious_. He became extremely solitary, aggressive, and . . . _possessively territorial _over her. Male or female, he didn't like her spending any given time with anyone other than himself. And heaven forbid if someone tried to lay a finger on her . . . .

Rukia shuddered unconsciously at the memory of the man he had almost beaten to death for flirting playfully with her at a social event they had both been required to attend. The most disturbing detail about his actions during the chaos that ensued was the blood-curling animalistic growl that she had heard under his breath before he leapt onto the unsuspecting hapless man.

Byakuya had to utilize all his incredible resources to forestall any impending lawsuits or criminal punishment for the very public incident. Needless to say, the event put Ichigo further out of reach of her brother's good graces. Not that her brother ever had a kind word to say about Ichigo to begin with.

There was always a bitter antagonism between the two most important men in her life, which stemmed from . . . well . . . _being the two most important men in her life. _While Byakuya resorted to using multiple methods of bribery, blackmail, and threats to scare Ichigo away. Ichigo, in his own method of madness, had used his own devious wits against Byakuya by practically eloping with Rukia.

In the end, _they had settled everything the way normal men did_. They battled it out with their fists, completely wrecking one of the Kuchiki rooms so extensively the room had to be reconstructed. Although, Rukia was completely disgusted with the behavior of the two men, it did resolve the whole marriage blessing matter—if grudgingly, as Byakuya was the looser of the 2 hour _testosterone chest pounding man-fest_.

Byakuya's original question however, brought her back to mind what she was truly hiding from him. Rukia wondered briefly if he suspected anything, if someone had told him something, or if he was just using his amazing business acumen to perceive there was more to the story then she let on. Dr. Unohana had promised the details of her attack would not be relayed to Byakuya, citing patient confidentiality despite being the family physician. Other than the matronly physician that treated her, there was no other person other than Ichigo who could have witnesses the details of what had happened to Rukia. The only details that Rukia herself could remember began after waking up from her supposed attack and of course the physical outcome of it.

Rukia's hands clenched spasmodically oin her business skirt unconsciously as she thought back to the night that scarred her forever, it relentlessly beat at the back of her mind that she could not remember anything that had happened.

Immediately following the event where Ichigo had to be pried off of the admirer that had attempted to make sexual advances towards Rukia; Ichigo had driven her directly home. The silence in the car was disturbingly thick, wrought with unspoken words and emotionional turmoil.

After reaching her home, he had walked her to her room in seething silence. However, what happened afterwards remained a blank spot within her memories. She vaguely recalled both Ichigo and she entering her room, but after that . . . all her memories drew a complete blank.

Obviously, Rukia must have lost consciousness at some point upon entering her bedroom. When she awoke the following morning, all she knew was that her evening gown and undergarments had been torn to shreds and was scattered throughout the room, as if some wild animal had clawed it asunder into small bits of confetti. Waking up naked and sprawled uncovered upon her bed wasn't the only frightening detail she came to realize. Her naked flawless pale skin was liberally littered with bruises, shallow scratch marks, and love bites. Her neck, shoulders, breasts, and parts of the area between her legs were also extremely sore.

Swallowing the bile that threatened to spew out, Rukia breathed in and out deeply, and tried to calm her racing heartbeat. Afraid of the marks and her lack of memory, she immediately threw on some clothes and went to visit her family physician, Dr. Unohana.

Other than the visible abrasions and bruising along her body, her doctor reassured her that she hadn't been raped and her chastity remained intact. Rukia remembered feeling so relieved that she would still be pure for her wedding. However, what the doctor said next deeply disturbed her to this day. Judging by the patterns of scratches and teeth bruising around her body; the signs pointed to some sort of animal mauling her. The teeth markings were cognizant of a large canine mandible seen only on large wild beasts. Adding to the mystery, none of the bites or scratches broke the surface of her skin anywhere on her body.

In addition, the doctor implied that perhaps her black out was caused by an event that was so traumatic her brain simply blocked her from remembering the details.

Intuitively, she knew that only one person could answer the mysterious details of that night. And that would be her fiancé, Ichigo. Both of them had made promises to each other to consummate their love on their wedding night only. With the wedding drawing near at a scant 1 month away, she didn't understand why her clothes had been removed and her body riddled with love marks.

Ignoring the slight trepidation when the memory of his fight with her potential Lothario surfaced, she searched high and low for him throughout the city. When she still couldn't locate him, she called upon all their acquaintances and his family members for his whereabouts. Without luck, he had disappeared and for several nerve wracking weeks she couldn't find any signs of him. Even reporting him missing to the police yielded no results.

However, approximately 2 weeks later, Byakuya received an unmarked letter. A letter that caused her untold heartache and pain as it was a notification to unceremoniously cancel all their wedding plans—shattering their idealistic future dreams.

Six months later, she was still shell shocked about the outcome of those events. For a while, she entertained thoughts that the letter was forged, and that he had somehow been kidnapped. But the extremely wealthy Kuchiki family had never received any ransom demand, which negated that theory.

The only other conclusion that she could think of was that he had met with an untimely murderous end. However, she refused to allow herself to contemplate that dire end without further physical proof.

As a result, Rukia had been living in this constant limbo, unable to find closure on the disappearance of the love of her life. In addition, she never did recover those lost memories from that one fateful night. All her efforts with multiple therapists and hypnotists came to naught. However, she was positive that the event was pivotal and contributed to his disappearance in some way. That's why she persisted in trying to remember. Perhaps, the events would provide a clue to his absence.

If nothing else, her heart still belonged with him. Instinctively, she knew that he was alive somewhere. The hope still fired her unwavering determination in finding him.

Noting her emotionally distant gaze, Byakuya silently pulled out a file from a hidden drawer within his desk. The sound of the file being tossed across his desk towards Rukia, snapped her attention back to her brother in questioning surprise. But what he said next shocked her to the core.

"_The investigators have finally located him."_

_o0o0o0o_

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A/N:

Please review and let me know what you thought of Rukia's back story. It's a transitional filler chapter to build Rukia's character and lay the foundation of all that's transpired before the prologue.

I hope you enjoyed the little tidbit about the pissing contest between Ichigo and Byakuya. I could so see that happening . . . . Except the girl in me would want to see their clothes being ripped off during their manly _catfight_ . . . ahem . . . I mean brawl. LOL And no, I'm not into yaoi!

Special thanks to everyone who took the time to review. You guys are absolutely awesome. I wasn't certain this story would appeal to most readers. It was because of your reviews that I beefed up this chapter at the last minute despite my wrists pains and tried to get this second chapter published so soon.

**Next Chapter:** "Dormant Memories." Rukia, several hours before the prologue, and you can already guess by the title what this chapter will be about.


	3. Dormant Memories

**Title:** _**Howl at the Moon**_

**Warnings:** slight smut

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**Dormant Memories**

o0o0o0o

_**- 2 HOURS AGO - **_

As Rukia drove tirelessly through the rough terrain of the dirt road up the mountains in a compact car rental, her mind drifted back to her conversation with Byakuya.

__ - _ -  _ - _ - __

_24 hours earlier . . . _

"_The investigators have located him." Byakuya stated stoically. He was the proverbial businessman, the epitome of calm, cool, and collected nobility. Nothing ever fazed his façade. Well, nothing other than the death of his wife, Hisana._

_Her heart began to beat so loudly that for a moment she thought she had misheard him. It took her a while before she could find her voice again to stammer coarsely, "W-What? Where is he? How can I get there?"_

_Instead of answering her promptly, he paused and asked her a question that cast an instant pall over her eagerness of being able to meet up with Ichigo once again._

"_In light of his location . . . . Mind you, it's just a theory, but . . . . Rukia, have you ever thought that the reason he broke off your engagement may have been medical related?"_

"_I don't understand, nii-sama. What do you mean?" she replied in baffled confusion._

"_Let's say he was terminally ill or something, would he want you to live a life like that with him? Or perhaps he was afraid of spreading some type of disease to you?"_

_Her eyes opened wide in shock, and her mouth gaped open. A medical related sickness? Something like that would have never occurred to her. She thought long and hard before she responded softly, "I-If that was the case . . . .Then yes, he would very likely find a way to break our engagement to see me happy with someone else."_

_Eyes softening with subtle softness, he asked her one last question. "Do you still want to see him again?"_

_Rukia's eyes shined with determination, "Yes, nii-sama. Now, more than ever. If he is as stricken as you surmise, I want to be able to spend any last moments with him regardless of his health symptoms."_

_Sighing in sadness, Byakuya handed her the folder this investigators had gathered on the missing orange-headed insolent boy his sister was still in love with. "I've already made travel arrangements for you. You leave tomorrow morning. Be careful, Rukia. . Most importantly, promise me that regardless of his situation, . . . you'll come back."_

__ - _ -  _ - _ - __

The closer she reached her destination, the more agitated she became. As it was, her body was running on exhaust fumes. Since her tête-à-tête with Byakuya, she had been unable to either sleep or eat the night before. Theories and speculations had her stomach constantly churning in worry. And her thoughts were a chaotic mess, consumed with meeting the love of her life once again. What would he think of her? Or what would he say to her?

Subconsciously, she had dressed in the white linen dress that Ichigo always claimed to be his favorite. Teasingly, he used to taunt softly in her ear that if there were ever a dress that would cause him to fantasize about ripping it off of her to ravish her on any available hard surface, this would be the one. Being October 31st however, a thin strapped sun dress may have not been the best choice in this merciless elevation. Up the mountains, the weather was reaching its last autumn stages, and the scent of snow was working its passage down the mountain. In fact the dark gloomy clouds above threatened to release a torrent of rain soon. Unfortunately, in her distraction, not only was she dressed inappropriately for the natural element, but she had also forgotten to bring some sort of overcoat.

Time had flown by so fast; before long, the sun was beginning to set. Shortly after, she could spot a roughly built cabin in the distance. Slowing down, she parked the car nearby, and sat there in silence for several minutes contemplating the illumination shining through the windows. Unfortunately, as she waited for her courage to stiffen up her resolution, large rain drops began to fall while the ominous thunder sounds echoed through the night air.

Thankful for the umbrella that the rental car was equipped with, she opened the door and popped open the umbrella. Goosebumps ran up and down her chilled arms as she walked towards the cabin. After one deeply inhaled breath, she knocked smartly on the door. Upon receiving no response, she turned the handle and pushed open the unlocked entrance. Noiselessly, the door swung wide open to an empty room. Feeling like an interloper, she stepped further inside after closing her umbrella.

The cabin was equipped with the barest essentials of comfort: a ratty sofa, table, and a couple of rickety chairs. However, it must have obviously run on some sort of generator to produce electricity in the lighting fixtures.

On top of the only table in the cabin, a multitude of medical texts books lay open haphazardly along with a lap top, a centrifuge machine, and the expensive high tech microscope she had gifted him last Christmas. Rukia sighed in sadness, because judging by the vials of blood he was obviously testing . . . all evidence pointed to her brother's theory of Ichigo being stricken with some sort of incurable illness.

As she turned to scan the room once more, her breath caught as she noticed the objects littered all over the surface of the wood burning fireplace mantel. Walking closer to the mantel, she picked up one picture frame. Rukia's eyes filled with emotional tears as she stared unblinkingly at the item cradled within her hands. It was a picture of the both of them the day he had proposed to her. _They had both been so ecstatically happy. _Glancing at the rest of the pictures, she assured herself that they were all indeed pictures of either the both of them together or just of her exclusively.

He even had a picture of her in a series of bandages around her head and a cast around her leg. That picture marked the beginning of their so-called Romeo and Juliet drama. Their relationship didn't start out like the typical romance scripts of the movies. Ichigo had been heading home for a 3 day vacation from his medical internship, and Rukia had been wandering around the neighborhood on her own break from her preppy college to meet up with her friend, Renji.

Seeing a child about to be hit, Rukia had instinctively jumped in and thrown the child out of harms way. Unfortunately, Rukia had been injured in the process, and she ended up being the one that got hit by the drunken driver. From a distance, Ichigo had seen everything that happened and he had rushed towards her. Incidentally, he chose to carry her unconscious form into his father's clinic a couple of doors down rather than wait for an ambulance. That was how they had met, not the most romantic event of her life, especially when she was black and blue all over, and bandaged up like a mummy.

To say the air current around the both of them crackled with electrical sparks each time they were within a couple of feet of each other was a severe understatement. After she had awoken from her concussion, Ichigo and Rukia began bickering like an old married couple after years of matrimony. His father, Dr. Isshin Kurosaki, seeing potential grandchildren prospects in the making—underhandedly claimed that he was much too busy to attend to Rukia medically. Thus, he forced his son—with the horrible bedside manners—to fill in for him.

By the time Rukia was well enough to leave the clinic, they had each gone onto their own separate lives. However, they remained in contact with each other over the following years, and the nightly phone arguments and verbal wars slowly started to loose their steam and dissipate. Eventually, it morphed into something softer, deeper, and intimately long lasting. In her final year of college and his last year of internship, Ichigo proposed marriage to her—to the utter dismay of Byakuya. After the battle of masculine pride between Ichigo and Byakuya got resolved—grudgingly if that, their plan was to marry after they had both completed their school programs.

Rukia smiled wryly, lost in her thoughts as she returned the picture frame back to its original place on the mantel, until a shiny object next to a nearby frame caught her eye. Picking up the locket, she popped open the silver heart pendant and gazed at the picture of her within its womb. She swallowed the sob that threatened to break free. Without a doubt, h_e still loved her deeply._ This locket and these pictures clearly proved that.

Unable to wait a moment longer, she walked back out the front door to try and confront Ichigo as soon as possible. If he knew she was here, his innate sense of stubbornness and his savior complex may cause him to flee from her again. So she needed to corner him first and demand some hard answers.

Popping open her umbrella once again, she followed the obvious signs of foot tracks starting from his front door to a well trod path around the back of the cabin. Despite the rain, she could see an orange headed naked male form kneeling in the middle of an open field downhill. Her eyes widened in surprise. _It was Ichigo! _Albeit, he was obviously shaking and trembling in the cold rain; his arms were wrapped protectively around his torso in visible pain. Concerned she was about to call out to him, but as the sun began to set something frightening began to happen along his skin and spine. His back muscles began to ripple as if something unseen was about to burst from within.

"Ichigo," she gasped in surprise. Despite the distance, he jerked his head around in shock, obviously hearing her voice.

When menacing glowing yellow eyes glared up at her, Rukia froze in terror like a deer caught in a headlight. In an instant, and like the release of a flood gate, memories of that one fateful night washed through her.

_Flashback . . ._

_Ichigo had walked her to her bedroom door. Luckily Byakuya was out of town for a business meeting, so that meant both Ichigo and she could have long heart to heart chat about the fight earlier. However, once they entered her room, Ichigo turned around, then closed and locked her door. Glancing at him in confusion, Rukia silently stared at him, noting that beneath his exterior he was still smoldering with in anger._

_Walking up and close to her, he gripped the back of her neck and pulled her face a scant inch from his. Snarling in anger, he breathed out in a growl, "You belong to me! No one touches you! Do you understand me, Rukia?"_

_Gaping at him in surprise, she hissed at him fearlessly, "What in the world is wrong with you, idiot? You can't just go ape-shit Tarzan on me claiming I'm your Jane!"_

_She was ready for a knock down all out verbal warfare, but all at once a strange expression flitted across his handsome features. He suddenly looked hungry and covetous—as if she in her innocence possessed some kind of treat he'd never tasted before._

_Rukia expected Ichigo to fire back at her like he normally would. Despite their love for one another, their battle of wills could flare at the drop of a hat. What she didn't expect was for him to jerk her so close to him that their torsos mashed seamlessly against each other. She fought to be free from his hold on principle alone, yet her movements were softened by the heady passion that was building within her, and she quickly found she was no match for him at all. His hand rode at her back while his other had stroked through her hair. _

_She made to scream at him, but before she could, his mouth stifled her protest. His lips found hers, and once he had them—he refused to relinquish her no matter how hard she strained to escape. Eventually, his kiss became so deep and thorough that his tongue broke the barrier of her teeth, and he thrust himself again and again into her mouth until she moaned in feeble protest. He was ravaging her mouth like the world was going to end tomorrow. She couldn't help but reciprocate the overpowering lust that was blazing out of control._

_Like his unrelenting mouth, Ichigo's hands became just as brutal as she felt him press her closer into his embrace, until she felt the air was being sucked out of her. After a long moment, Ichigo jerked his mouth from her and rasped out, "You belong to me, and tonight I'll mark my ownership over you in every way." _

_With his words still ringing in the air, he stepped back slightly and gripped the delicate silk of her dress and ripped it off of her back. With the tattered pieces still adorning her body, he lifted her in his arms and threw her on the bed._

_Shocked to the core at Ichigo's behavior, Rukia immediately flipped over and tried to crawl off the bed. But he gripped one delicate ankle before she could leave, and inexorably dragged her back towards the center of her bed. Once she was positioned where he wanted her, he straddled and pinned her down. While she screamed at him to "get off", he continued to rip the rest of her dress and undergarments off until she was bare to his gaze._

_Regardless of his anger, and what he was obviously planning on doing to her. Rukia could never be truly afraid of Ichigo hurting her. She didn't exactly understand what was going through his head, but she didn't exactly fear it either. It was instinctive, she would always trust him with her love, health, and happiness. As he perused her body visually for several long moments, Rukia blushed and attempted to cross her arms over her chest. Although, they had made out countless times in the past, Ichigo had never seen her completely unclothed. She couldn't help reacting like the blushing virgin she was._

_Growling in annoyance, he jerked her arms away and pinned them above her head. As soon as the visual obstacle had been dealt with, his mouth and teeth lowered to her breasts unrepentantly. Arching her back in surprise, she moaned out loud, unable to hold back the desire that suddenly coursed through her veins. Never had he been this raw and passionate before. Strangely enough, it was a huge turn on despite the little painful nips he sprinkled around her breasts, nipples and ribs._

_Without mercy, Ichigo planted both of his legs between hers, and pried her thighs wider apart. He then released her arms as he trailed possessively playful bites down towards her raven curls. He fell upon her clit and her lower wet folds indiscriminately, drinking voraciously like a wandering man seeing an oasis of water in an endless plain of dessert. In between a series of licking and suckling actions, she could catch the slight animalistic purring sounds emitting unreservedly from deep within his throat. Catching her clit between his lips, he jerked hard on it, causing her to scream in climax. Her body clenched instantly, shuddering through her first orgasm, making her accept the explosion of pleasure._

_She was thankful that none of the servants resided any where near her room; otherwise they might have contacted the police thinking that Ichigo was killing her. Killing her in the physical sense that is; howbeit, her body was going through the fires of death as the orgasm raced up and down every nerve ending inside of her._

_Continuing to lick the last of her juices dry, Ichigo resumed his attack on her clit again. This time he used a combination of clever finger movements, to thrust deeply inside her slick sheath and hit a special area she hadn't even known existed. Before she could grasp reality, her body was clenching spasmodically as another mind boggling climax ripped through her, barely on the heels of the first one._

__ - _ -  _ - _ - __

_Hours later . . . . _

_Five? Six? Seven times? Rukia lost count of the number of times he brought her to completion with just his hands and mouth. She was utterly blind to everything around her as her body convulsed uncontrollably after each consecutive orgasm. Her entire body trembled in exhaustion as wave upon wave of orgasm rushed throughout her body; it was like sticking a finger in an electrical current._

_Ichigo refused to stop his attacks until she was left as limp as a wet noodle. He only ceased after she was finally able to summon a hoarse voice to weakly protest, "Ichigo, please stop. I can't . . . No more . . ."_

_However, once she opened her eyes to focus on Ichigo's features as he lifted himself slightly to stare at her; she froze in shock. His beautiful amber eyes were now glowing brightly, and the irises had expanded until none of the whites of his eyes showed. In addition, his jaw line had morphed into a strange bestial form. The hands he used to clench into her bedding next to her body were completely inhuman in shape and form. His body was literally trembling uncontrollably, held in check by only the most tenuous grasp of will._

_Rukia gasped out softly, "Ichigo?"_

_His response was to bare his elongated canines and growl menacing at her. _

_As she was starting to cudgel her disbelieving eyes into something that would make sense, the world spun dizzyingly around her. She must have blacked out because she couldn't remember anything other than waking up the next morning with the remaining evidence of Ichigo's marked passion along her pale skin._

_End Flashback_

With only a sliver of humanity and sanity remaining in his eyes, he snarled in a low guttural voice, "Rukia, run! I can't hold it off any longer. Run!"

Unable to stop his instincts, Ichigo lifted his head towards the full moon and howled out his frustration, pain, and fear. It wasn't until that inhuman sound echoed in the air that Rukia suddenly awoke from her paralysis, filling her with raw and overwhelming terror. She fought back her rising hysteria as she watched his form change in obvious pain. Turning around, she sprinted back around the cabin towards her car.

Fumbling for her keys, she was thankful she hadn't locked the doors. As soon as she leaped into her car, she had the key in her ignition in under a second. When the engine fired up, she immediately backed the car in reverse. However, when she tried to do a 3-point turn, she must have driven into a large pot hole. Her back wheels screeched and tried to gather traction unsuccessfully, but she was stuck.

Hearing another howl coming closer, she knew that sitting in a locked car wasn't going to hold out for long against Ichigo. Would it hold until sunrise? She didn't think so. It might be possible to find a hiding place until the sun rose. Making a split decision, she gave up on the car's illusion of safety. So she opened the door and ran headlong into the abysmal-looking forest.

_Don't look back. __Run like hell. Live. Live for another day to find a way to be with your soul mate._

_I'm sorry nii-sama, I may not be able to keep my promise . . . ._

o0o0o0o

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A/N:

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Did the memories of the black out incident meet your expectations? Were all the flashback scenes too confusing? For some reason, the ending of this chapter reminds me of those stupid victims in horror slasher movies. Oh well, something had to have happened to the car so that she can run terrorized through the forest, right?

I added a short blurb on Ichigo's and Rukia's love story at _shinigami_wannabe_'s request for more on their prior relationship. Hope you enjoyed it. It's a short story, so I don't want to expound too much on how they got together. And yes, I'm always open to suggestions, criticisms, or just plain opinions (good/bad). If you're a grammar nazi, have at it. I'm thankful for any help.

**Next Chapter: **"Dark Desires After Dusk" The follow-up to the events immediately after the Prologue.

I'm still hurrying to wrap up this story, but I tweaked my wrists again in picking up my daughter over the weekend. So I may end up finishing this story completely after Halloween. Which also means the next chapter for "Dream of Me" gets delayed a little longer. Don't kill me. (cringing) Its 4k words of smut, and needs to be heavily revised for fluidity, a lot has happened since the story's conception.

As always, special thanks to all the reviewers, in particular to the anonymous ones that I can't reply to. I really do appreciate hearing from you all; it makes the pain negligible to some degree. And I promise to respond to all the PM's and the beta chapter in my queue soon. (whimper)

Fathom

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	4. Dark Desires After Dusk

**Title:** **_Howl at the Moon_**

**Warning: **smut

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Dark Desires After Dusk

_o0o0o0o_

**_- PRESENT TIME -_**

_Resigning herself completely to her fate, she lifted both her hands and spasmodically clenched her fingers in the soft black fur along its neck. In some ways, she was glad that she was with him in her last moments of life at least._

_Any minute she expected his teeth to close over her windpipe and crush it. Then he would rip out her throat, drag her body into the forest where it would never be found . . . ._

Once again Rukia felt a silky, wet, and warm tongue trace a path from her exposed collar bone to the edge of her jaw line. Involuntarily, her body began to relax lethargically as the long stroke of his tongue felt almost _sensual_, and unwillingly her pounding heart changed its rhythm. He nuzzled the junction of her neck and shoulder, and then she felt his panting breath over the artery. A gentle touch that had Rukia tensing her fingers in the silky mane threaded through her fingers in preparation for her final moment in life. Her muscles became taut once again, expecting the puncturing of sharp canines. Unexpectedly, he merely brushed firm lips across her own.

Her senses must be confused from the night's trauma, because Ichigo suddenly felt . . . _human_. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see an oversized black wolf hovering dangerously above her. Instead, she saw her hands softly grasping not black fur but an unruly mop of orange tresses. _Ichigo—_a humanoid looking one at that. He knelt possessively astraddle over the top of her and stared penetratingly down into her wide violet eyes. His eyes were so gold and bright, yet so intent. Then his gaze darkened with tortured emotion as it wandered south of her eyes, lingering first at her trembling moist lips and then pausing on her heaving chest . . . .

Following his gaze, Rukia quickly inhaled a quick breath of surprise. Her white sun dress was absolutely ruined, and the sodden white bodice was so transparent it clearly flaunted everything—the shape of her breasts, the color of her nipples—its rigidity reacting to the rain and the cold climate. The lower portion of the dress was plastered to her thighs, and the dark shadowed triangle between her legs showed through the sheer fabric of her dress and her white panties. _She might as well have been naked. _As he stared at her exposed body like a dog eyeing a meaty bone, he placed his hand on her knee and slowly dragged the bottom edge of her dress up her thigh.

Fear as tangible as the blood in her veins pumped wildly through her body, as she lay unresistingly petrified under him. He wanted her. But Ichigo's manipulations were much more dark and sinister. Despite his questionable human physiology, he could make her desire him as if he secreted some sort of sensual ambrosia that assaulted all her senses. Rukia couldn't understand it, but her belly grew taut and her nether regions melted and pulsed rhythmically.

Ichigo nuzzled her hair and his breath gently puffed into her ear. Her chest quivered; her eyes burned. Having him so close and gentle to her after being apart so long was making her remember things she could never forget. _And the memories . . . hurt. _

An uncommon rush of emotion caused her muscles to clench, her stomach to roil. For six months she wasn't used to feeling anything. She prided herself on being cool, patrician, in charge: the epitome of a noble Kuchiki ice queen. But no one had ever affected her like him. No one had ever made her as happy or as sad. No one could make her more furious in a blink of an eye. Apparently, no one had ever terrorized her and filled her with such despair to this degree either.

"You shouldn't have come. I tried to do the heroic deed in letting you go, but I should have realized your stubbornness can outstrip mine in its tenacity. You've made your bed. As a result, you've just dug your own grave. I won't hold back anymore." Ichigo growled huskily under his breath.

Rukia's breath caught at his grim declaration. She was still afraid, terrified of this new side of Ichigo. _How could she not be? _But mixed with that unfamiliar emotion was another emotion she was only just beginning to recognize—she was sexually infatuated about the darkly possessive and dominating way that Ichigo was acting. Despite the cold rain that continued to drizzle down on them both, she was far from cold. She could feel the wave of heat that Ichigo was kicking off with the rise of his aggression and . . . _passion_. Something about the aura surrounding him made her needy . . . _and ready_.

Mother Nature continued to cry out in anger as lightning flashed overhead. And a renewed torrent of rain splattered on her face, washing away all the evidence of her prior tears like they never existed. Rukia opened her mouth to coat her suddenly parched throat with the fresh rain as she withdrew deep in thought at this new version of Ichigo.

Many would ask, how could she, a Kuchiki heiress, want a man—especially a beast of the four-footed variety—like Ichigo?

_Yet she did, and always would, regardless of his . . . new canine attributes._

No matter what happened, he would remain the same Ichigo in her heart. Rukia was a creature of instinct . . . _or perhaps of madness_. She didn't know or particularly care. She knew only that when he curled his palm against her thigh tightly, her senses began to cloud in wantonness need.

Ichigo leaned down and ran his nose along her temple, inhaling her scent deeply, before gently brushing his lips against hers. His tongue flicked out licking her lips like she was coated in whip cream. The sensation was like a lightning strike, bringing back all they had shared, making Rukia long for things they hadn't.

His fingers wound in her hair, tilting her head back so he could trail a heated path down her throat. His tongue pressed against her pulse; his teeth worried a fold of skin as his fingers stroked an already aroused nipple to an aching peak.

She felt her nipples harden and grew angered at her lack of control over her body—he seemed to have more control over it than she did. Even with all the confusion of the last few nights, another slow brush of his lips across hers had her wanting him still.

Her breath caught at his surprising gentleness, but it was merely the calm before the storm. All tenderness faded as his mouth crashed roughly down onto hers. Their teeth clashed, and she tasted blood. His or hers? She didn't know. The taste only tempted her to give into the wildness she had always kept incased in ice. Involuntarily, her lips opened, and she welcomed him in. Their tongues dueled—touched, sparred, and retreated. She shuddered, fighting the unfamiliar out of control feeling. It was almost like old times in one sense, yet this rapid fire build-up of lust was completely new.

_Ichigo. _He tasted the same—like red wine on a cold winter night. His heat had always melted her ice. With him, she'd been warm, safe, and alive. He growled in a low rumble that seemed to reach all the way to Rukia's toes, and then he pulled away. Lowering his head to capture one stiff nipple, he suckled strongly through her wet dress. As she arched against him, he moaned and aligned their bodies just right. The press of his thighs wasn't the only thing she felt. Judging by the size of his arousal against her, he'd missed her—in more ways than one.

"Do you love me?" Ichigo whispered seductively, nuzzling his face in between her breasts before lifting himself up to study her face.

"Yes, I will always love you." Rukia replied softly, staring into his eyes in earnest assurance.

"Do you still love me now that you've seen what I am?" he questioned her.

Her voice strengthened in resolve, as she replied, "Yes. I don't care what you are or what happened. You will always be the Ichigo in my heart."

_Did she really still love him?_ There was not even the slightest smidgen of doubt about her unwavering love for him. She would know his soul and touch anywhere. Regardless of her fear and her exhaustion, her soul cried out for him just as her unwilling body begged for him. "Ichigo, I don't care what happens, as long as I'm with you for however long that is, I am happy."

Resigned to her inescapable fate, she added seriously, "Will you kill me now?"

"Kill you?" His golden eyes narrowed in passionate anger. "Yes. I'm going to kill you—over and over again . . . just like our last night together."

It was a threat her heart couldn't comprehend . . . but her body remembered perfectly well what he meant after her memories of 6 months ago returned with a vengeance.

He chuckled mirthlessly without humor, as he taunted her. "What were you thinking, Rukia? Did you think that I would rip out your throat?" His hand on her thigh slid higher unheeded, and before she knew it, his hand had brushed aside the crotch of her panties and abruptly ripped them away. His fingers then slid between her silky wet folds, found her clit, and stroked with a leisurely, almost imperceptible touch.

When he talked like that, his lips moving against her neck, he made her panicky.

"La petite mort." He smiled, his teeth shone white and sharp in the dark forest. "'The little death', the aftermath of an overpowering orgasm. I remember everything from that one night as I killed you over and over again. So beautiful . . . . Since that night, I've dreamed of tasting you . . . of taking you over the edge over and over again. Except this time . . . it'll be with my cock pumping inside of you as you climax tightly around me. The longing, the need, the yearning has driven me half insane. It took all my will power to turn from you. But now that you're here, there's no going back."

Each one of her senses widened, embracing the scent of the earth, the cold rain, the wilderness around them . . . the wildness in him. She couldn't help but be enraptured by his look, his touch, and his words.

Rukia took a deep fortifying breath. Her eyes shied away from the dark intensity of his eyes. Unintentionally, her gaze slid over his shoulders so broad they blocked the rain momentarily, down to his muscular chest to the visible source of his masculinity.

Rukia could feel the heat radiating from above her; it was the only thing that kept her from shivering as the wind howled through the trees and lightening blistered the air. She looked further down at his sculpted belly . . . His cock was an engorged red color, deeply veined, and larger than . . . well, actually she had only guessed what one might look like. Not that she had ever seen even a picture of a naked penis before either.

"Touch me." Ichigo commanded her, having seen where her eyes had drifted and continued to stare in wide-eyed innocence.

Rukia squeaked in maidenly sensibility, blushing like mad that she had been caught staring at _it_. Reluctantly she pulled her gaze up into his eyes. _Touch it? _She was already suffering the fires of hell in embarrassment in seeing a live male penis for the first time in her life. Both Byakuya and Ichigo had always kept her sequestered from the sexual mores of society, and to her chagrin any hentai mangas she may have tried to peek in was soon confiscated. Other than that one night, even Ichigo's make out sessions never involved anything below the belt or the removal of either of their clothing.

Reading the obvious attack of self-consciousness in her face, the hand on her clit pinched the little hard flesh between his thumb and forefinger hard. And then coating a finger with the fresh onslaught of juices flowing from her, he dipped a finger deep into the entrance to her slick tight sheath. The pleasure was so sudden, so intense, she found herself clenching that place between her legs in sudden longing. Her arms had long ago fallen from their purchase in his hair. Now they stretched out to her sides, grasping handfuls of her raised dress to try to suppress the passion that was multiplying to a terrifying inferno.

"Touch me," he repeated once more, his voice brooking no refusal.

When she raised trembling fingers and gently brushed the backs of them over his cheek, his lids closed briefly with pleasure. Blushing in mortification at what she was going to attempt to do, she reached up and lightly placed her hands on the only non-erogenous zone she could think of, his shoulders. _She could do this. It was just Ichigo. _The muscles in them rippled and shifted. Remembering the combination of pain and pleasure he had wrought on her own body with just the use of his callused fingers and nails; Rukia attempted to duplicate that technique on him. With that memory uppermost in her mind, she dragged one hand down his chest slowly, using her nails to slightly scratch down his torso, nails digging into his flesh.

He shuddered in incredulous disbelief at the combination of naiveté innocence and forward boldness. The hand between her legs paused as if he was eagerly waiting in expectation for more of her daring touch. As she curiously stroked his nipple, circled, pinched it, his body appeared locked in suspension. As both his nipples tightened, she heard his breath rasp in his throat.

Perhaps, she was not quite as helpless as she originally thought . . . .

Except, now that she'd started touching him, she couldn't stop even if she wanted to. She loved the feeling of his warm satin skin overlaid over steely muscles; loved realizing that he was dangerously on the edge of violence, this not-quite-human man, but she held some power over him.

Removing his hand from her between her legs, he stopped her teasing hand, drew her fingers down from his chest, and wrapped them around his stiff cock. She wanted to pull her hand away in sudden shyness . . . but then he used her hand to stroke himself. A low rumbling purr escaped him, while he closed his eyes and relished her soft touch. His palm still covered her hand, and when his fingers clenched, heat coursed between them like an electric current.

As Ichigo had chased her down like a hare on the lam, Rukia had run with all her might. However, now that he caught her, there was no where else she wanted to be more than here in his arms. And she knew without a doubt that no matter how much she tried to escape or how loud she screamed, he intended to have her here and now.

When he let go of her hand, she found she became reluctant to take it away. Mesmerized, she used her thumb to find a silky bead of thick moisture at the tip and spread it in a small circle along and under the sensitive edge of the head of his shaft. His breath hissed between his teeth and his muscles rippled in desire. For a second she feared she'd driven him over the edge back into his bestial form. But no . . . . _He was still human. _

He leaned his head close and spoke softly into her ear. "Not only can I feel your arousal, but I can smell the strong scent of your arousal from a long distance away?" He laughed a deep, husky, wolfish growl. "And, I know when I do this"—once again his hand slid into her panties—"all logical thought retreats, and the scent of sweet arousal permeates the air in a frenzy of awe inspiring lust."

He chuckled again, and his finger abrasively massaged her exposed clit. She closed her eyes, trapping the sensation inside her. At this point, she was completely helpless to the desire Ichigo invoked and she struggled to understand Ichigo's words.

"Rukia, I'm not the same Ichigo you knew before." As he had threatened, his finger slid all the way inside her. "I'm your harbinger of death."

Then he rubbed strongly with the heel of his hand. He stroked her inside and out, and as surely as he had transformed, she metamorphosed too. She became a creature composed of nothing but passion, lit by an inner fire. Her back instinctively arched to press herself against him, grinding her hips harder against his hand. A long breathy moan escaped her lips.

Abruptly, he took his penetrating hand away. Rising to his knees, he moved lower between her legs. Then without any warning, he fell ravenously on her chaste womanhood. Before she could grasp any thought, her body exploded in an abrupt mind-numbing climax. His eyes closed, his neck corded with strain, and his expression was exquisite agony as he lapped up the remains of her release.

With a growl that seemed to reach all the way to her toes, he raised himself and loomed over her prostate form. Then he put his hand on the bodice of her dress and viciously rent the garment down the front.

For one long nerve-wracking moment, he slowly perused her naked body with eyes that were intense but now warm and golden. He gave a sharp groan that she knew was involuntary; as if he found her incomparably beautiful.

A strange expression flitted across Ichigo's handsome features. He suddenly looked hungry and covetous—as if she in her innocence possessed some kind of treat he'd never tasted before.

Lowering his head, he captured one nipple roughly, and then scored it with his teeth. Pulling her nipple into his mouth, he suckled hard, assaulting her senses with his lips and tongue until she forgot to be timid and released another surprised moan. Then he sank his teeth lightly into her flesh, scarping across her fragile nerve endings.

Up close, she could see his eyes were starting to change, as were his jaw. His bestiality was beginning to ebb out of him more prominently. Somehow she couldn't find it in herself to care, and her head kicked back further as her back arched desperately closer to his sharp canines. He continued to abrasively nip, suck, and lathe her entire chest until she was left shuddering in renewed passion at the combination of pain and pleasure.

The rain continued to fall directly on her upturned face, but did nothing to cool down her rising ardor. The earth cradled her in its womb. His body heated her above. Everything about this moment was primal, intense . . . primitive. She was a sacrifice to Ichigo's need. A willing sacrifice . . . . Whatever he wanted or needed, she would freely give of herself. Each time his tongue circled her nipple she yielded more wholly.

Suddenly, he pulled away and stared down into her eyes for a long moment.

The intent expression on his face made her made her feel uneasy. Something sparked in his eyes, and for an instant she was afraid of him, which was foolish. He could never hurt her. At least not physically . . . .

Ichigo looked as hungry as the veritable big bad wolf in fairytales. She gulped hard when her eyes automatically strayed south again. Emphasis on the "big" of big bad wolf was prominent in the forefront of her thoughts.

Rain slid down his cheek, and moved by some previously undiscovered instinct, she licked the droplet. It tasted wildly of the storm that was brewing between them. However, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

In a swift dizzying movement, Ichigo shifted to the side and flipped her over by the waist. He pressed her chest down into the grass, arms in front of her, and raised her bottom up. He growled as if pleased, then immediately kicked her knees open with his own. He slid her skirts up, bunching the fabric on her back, and the cold air washed over her bare legs and bottom. He put one arm solidly around her waist. Then moved his other arm under, over her breast, and clenched her shoulder from underneath, holding her immobile. For the first time, she felt the weight of all man skin to skin: heavy, muscled, and extremely hard.

He was so heavy she could barely breathe, and so big that he surrounded her, his heat burning her back, scorching through her damp clothing. His hot breath stirred her hair. She inhaled his pungent scent, the hot, mingled odors of sweat and all man—primitive and dangerous. The smell of him filled her, warming her within as his body warmed her without.

All she could do was feel him, his body stretched on top of hers, his iron-muscled limbs controlling her. She could feel his chest move with his heat against her back. Rukia quivered, fear and desire twisting sharply together until she couldn't separate them.

Ichigo's hand slid between her legs and he cupped her slick sex, his hard fingers opening the closed, secretive folds. He searched out her small firm clit, pushed back the protective hood of flesh and exposed her to the rasp of his callused fingertips. A soft cry exploded from her, and her hips writhed. Those damnably knowing fingers withdrew after the brief caress, dragging through her swollen folds to find and stroke the entrance to her body. He circled her soft opening with one finger, spreading her moisture around in preparation.

He bent forward, his entire body covered hers, his weight supported on his left elbow and forearm. Rukia couldn't prevent her sudden intake of breath, her involuntary whimper of feminine distress at what was to come.

She felt the slow and deliberate movement of his legs, pushing between hers. He held her down, keeping her in place to do with as he wished. She could feel his huge erection slide against her backside, and then prod against her thigh.

When his cock probed he almost slipped inside her virgin sheath. But he couldn't, her body naturally resisted. She was so much smaller than him, and that tight ring refused to let him pass. He growled in animalistic frustration.

Rukia gasped, her eyes watering from the searing pain. Unexpectedly, her teeth chattered with the sudden chill, and she tried to instinctively scoot out from underneath him because what he was doing appeared to be physically impossible. He was almost twice her size. There was no way that he could fit that _thing_ anywhere in her.

But he stilled her doubt with his ironclad hold on her body, and began to rock back and forth against her tight entrance. Once again, she grew damp. Not from the rain, but rather from the torturous pleasure he forced on her. The discomfort of unwilling arousal and the dampness between her legs grew, and she twisted beneath him, fighting to free herself before she gave him what he wanted.

With the hand Ichigo had been using to keep her hips imprisoned, he slipped it beneath her to briefly cup one swaying breast. After palming her nipple with one abrasively calloused palm, he slowly dragged the hand down to cup and stroke between her legs. When a rush of wetness returned with a force, his continued his shallow thrusting movement until he was able to slip the head of his shaft beyond that tight ring.

Surprisingly, instead of forcing himself all the way in, he paused and leaned further over her. Bracing one arm next to hers, he used one hand to brush her wet tangled hair completely to the side to bare one pale shoulder. Rasping so low that she almost couldn't hear, he declared, "You're mine now."

It was too late for panic at his actions.

As quick as a striking snake, he thrust hard into her, ripping through her chaste barrier. At the same time as she felt her lower body forcefully invaded, she also felt a deep bite—puncturing the tender skin of her shoulder savagely.

On the heels of an ominous loud thundering sound, a painful scream echoed through the forest, as copious amounts of crimson blood blended with the falling rain and dripped down—only to be absorbed by the damp earth.

Suddenly the clouds shifted, and the rain stopped as Rukia's heart gave its last human beat.

_o0o0o0o_

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A/N:

Is Rukia dying? Oh no, the suspense . . . .

My word count appears to be increasing incrementally with each chapter. 1k+, Because of the length,J2k+, 3k+, and now 4k+. Don't expect that to continue. this one took me a lot longer time to write and revise. Although, technically I could probably end it here permanently, but you guys would probably hunt me down for it.

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. How was the smut? All you smut-skimmers show some love and drop me a review. What worked or didn't work? Was the smut too raw and edgy to enjoy? Did it make you uncomfortable?

**Next Chapter: **"Fanged Hell" -- 7 Months Prior: Ichigo's back story. It's a short intermission because I think everyone is curious about how Ichigo got fanged and furry. I couldn't figure out where to place the scene. So blame Ichigo for the intermission during hot wild bestial sex. It'll be the first time you see his POV, and the villain!

As always, special thanks to all the reviewers. Your support has been tremendous in getting through this chapter even though it's hurting like hell to sit and type.

_Fathom_


	5. Fanged Hell

**Title:** _**Howl at the Moon**_

**Author's Forward Note:** Not sure if I need to mention this or not, but the following chapter is a running chronology of events before the prologue.

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Fanged Hell

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_**-- 10 MONTHS BEFORE --**_

Orihime had been digging deep in her backyard looking for the memory box she had buried there several years ago. In a deep despair over her brother's death, she had buried all the mementos from her brother in the ground until she could one day bear the pain of his loss without bawling at the slightest mention of his name.

Unfortunately, she had been so distraught that one evening years ago that she couldn't quite pinpoint the exact location of the box. As a result, dozens of holes littered across the yard in her desperate search for the last link she had of her brother. In 3 months time her medical program would be completed and she would need to move to her new job; so retrieving the box was imperative in light of her pending departure. When her shovel finally hit a hard surface four and half hours later, Orihime squealed in tired relief. However, she would soon be disappointed as she pulled up a foreign looking box.

It was an old wooden crate, barely held together by decayed interwoven twine. Thinking she had uncovered some buried treasure, Orihime excited pried open the lid. Inside laid a pelt of animal skin wrapped protectively around a small gourd with an old cork at one end. Holding up the gourd, she experimentally shook it and noticed that it held some sort of liquid inside. It wasn't until after she lifted the gourd above her in the full sunlight that she finally noticed the old ancient writing carved on the gourd itself. The symbols had faded a great deal, but she could just barely make out some words.

_Blessed be the eternal Moon.  
__Let her full glory be your guide.  
__Expand your senses.  
__Bring forth the inner beast to track and bind your true love._

_o0o0o0o_

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-- 7 MONTHS BEFORE --

Everyone was in great cheer and relief as today marked the end of their medical internship and residency programs. It was already several hours into the celebration party and everyone had been imbibing freely of the available alcohol. Technically, it was their last night together before everyone got ready to go off and head to their new job destinations.

Ichigo was different in that he hadn't bothered to even interview for any positions at other hospitals. However, he wasn't planning on staying in this town either. His future plans had been happily all mapped out. He would go to Karakura and work at his father's clinic in preparation for one day taking over the practice when his father retired. Karakura was his hometown, and he would be relieved to be going back to his roots.

If nothing put a hitch in his upcoming wedding plans, he could have months off to honeymoon with the girl of his dreams as well. It was nice not have to worry about work schedules for some time to come. Having his father as his boss definitely had its ups and down, but the greatest perk would be the loose work schedules. Ichigo taking over the family clinic was a fringe benefit for his father. Begetting grandchildren ranked of the highest priority in the eyes of his old man, and Ichigo didn't mind his perverted father's machination towards that end. No man looked forward to their wedding night as much as he. Three years of abstinence had him as horny as a sailor on shore leave after being at sea so long.

While Ichigo was casually sniping at his classmate Ishida at the party, Orihime—another classmate of his—came by and interrupted their usual tête-à-tête and asked to speak to him privately.

Guiding him to an unoccupied room, Orihime gestured for him to come inside on the pretense of offering her personal congratulations and a parting thank you gift for helping her at the hospital over the years. Ichigo automatically tensed in uncertainty, after turning around and hearing a soft click behind him. She had closed the door, completely sealing them alone inside. But when she made no move other than to pull a wrapped box out from her bag to offer him, he relaxed.

Inside the wrapped box was the strangest looking cake he had ever seen, but she obviously had worked extremely hard on it . He didn't have the heart to reject her sweet offering, and it didn't appear that she would let him leave without seeing him eat it anyways. So he managed to swallow every bite of it. Oddly enough, there was something illusively addictive about the dessert and he couldn't help but rapidly stuff his mouth with each delicious bite. The entire time he ate the cake, Orihime stared unblinking at him as she eagerly watched—to his discomfort—every nuance in his expression.

When nothing but crumbs was left, he tried to walk back out of the room after a carefully worded "thanks". But to his consternation, instead of walking straight, he ended up staggering into a nearby wall for support. Studying Orihime suspiciously, Ichigo began to suspect that she hadn't been surprised at his adverse reaction at all.

Whatever the cake was spiked with was starting to make him a little woozy, and for a moment the world spun dizzyingly in vertigo. A long moment later, when his vision stabilized, he began to notice something peculiar. For some reason, his eye sight had become sharper in the dim lighting, and a rhythmic thumping sound was beginning to hurt his ear drums. It took him some time to realize that the beating noise sounded very much like a heart beat. Not to mention, his sense of smell appeared to be extra sensitive.

All the surrounding smells assaulting his nose were making him queasy, and his stomach churned in protest.

Concentrating hard to settle his nausea, he noticed he could suddenly pick out each individual scent in the room and further outside the closed door. And with Orihime being so close, he was literally drowning in the nauseating scent of her. She smelled literally of curdled milk, and he struggled to prevent himself from gagging.

The most disturbing part other than her awful smell was that he thought he could pick out the emotions brimming from Orihime by her scent alone. For the first time, he noticed that she was slightly aroused and excitedly triumphant. Worst of all, the distinctive scents of slight guilt and deceit permeating her shell wafted towards his nose, inundating his senses and causing his hackles to rise instinctively. Oblivious to his new found hyper awareness, she seemed to be expectantly waiting for another reaction from him.

He'd always assumed she was a sweet girl, if a little ditzy and clumsy at times. Amazingly enough, she had always been in the top 10 of their medical classes and a fan favorite among the hospital's patients. However, he'd never paid much attention to her. Other than a slight unrequited tendre for him that he blatantly played the obtuse insensitive card to her, he assumed she had out grown that crush since their entry into college.

Any prolonged interaction with her had always made him uncomfortable, because he never had anything in common to talk to her about other than the occasional greeting and brief talk of their shared grade school days back in Karakura. Judging by his sudden hyper sensitive nose, she was obviously still extremely attracted to him.

Unexpectedly, his muscles began to cramp up spasmodic pain. "Orihime, what did you do? What have you done to me?" He gasped through the pain.

It began to feel as if his breath was being robbed from him as he unevenly panted to retrieve some oxygen into his lungs. He leaned heavily against the wall, and only the strength of his will kept him from collapsing in a heap on the floor, curled into a fetal position.

In obvious surprise, Orihime asked, "Don't you love me now, Ichigo?"

"Of course not! For gods sake, I'm already engaged to someone I love."

With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "But it was supposed to work . . . ."

Lunging towards her, Ichigo gripped her by the shoulders hard. Then he shook her as he asked, "What was supposed to work, Orihime?"

Orihime began to get frightened by the murderous gleam in his eye. She didn't understand, the Ichigo she had always dreamed about was thoughtful, kind, generous, and a veritable knight in shining armor. _It wasn't supposed to be like this. _This Ichigo was frightening and she panicked at not being able to see any semblance of his usual calm cool demeanor in his face.

When his hands started to tighten in a punishing grip over her shoulders, she stuttered out, "It was supposed to be a love potion recipe." And then she wailed out, "You were supposed to fall in love with me!"

Releasing her violently with a slight push in disgust, Ichigo fell to his knees clutching his stomach in agony. He felt like something was trying to tear out of his body.

Concerned about Ichigo's health for the first time, Orihime knelt down and tried to touch Ichigo. As if sensing her close proximity, his hackles raised and he gripped her outstretched wrist with bruising force while a malicious snarl escaped through gritted teeth. It wasn't until she was gasping and whimpering in pain that he looked up at her directly into her eyes. Her heart stilled and she screamed out loud in full terror.

Unfortunately for Orihime, the blaring celebratory music outside the room drowned out any noise she made.

_o0o0o0o_

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-- 6 MONTHS & 3 WEEKS BEFORE --

They were all at the beach taking a vacation for the first time since entering college and then medical school. Ichigo, some of his classmen, and even Rukia had joined in the fun. The only person from their group of friends that didn't attend was Orihime. But her non-attendance was met with just curious shrugs. Apparently, after their last party a week ago, no one had seen her again. Most people assumed that she had already moved on to her new job.

Thankfully, ever since that incident, Orihime had avoided him like the plague. He was thankful for that at least. Whenever he caught her disgusting scent in the wind, the hairs on the back of his neck rose in anger. It took all his will power to not hunt her down and rip her throat out. It was frightening how much he wanted to kill her.

Whatever was in that cocktail that she gave him, looked like it was permanently staying in his system. At least his killer instinct wasn't as aroused as long as Orihime stayed away. Although, he had to revise that judgment once he was able to meet Rukia again after not being in each other's company for several weeks due to their busy schedules.

_Rukia_. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent deeply. She smelled utterly divine. It was like a virtual paradise of the senses. A scent unlike anything he had ever come across, it was combination of sakura flowers, fresh snow, and . . . innocence. It drove him crazed with desire. Want, need, and will battled for supremacy in his head; clouding his thoughts so that he could only see Rukia, hear Rukia, and feel Rukia.

After she was adopted, Rukia had been sent to a female boarding school. When it was time for college, she attended an all girl's preppy college for the upper echelon. As a result, she had always been naively ignorant of men because of her isolated and sheltered lifestyle. The men in her life boiled down to servants, body guards, her brother, Ichigo, and her childhood orphan best friend, Renji. Even Ichigo had to battle Byakuya and Renji hard to be included in that inner circle. However, contrary to them he didn't want to keep her so closely under wraps and delighted in showing her about the real world.

Unlike Rukia's unquestionable innocence, Ichigo on the other hand was at the other end of the spectrum. Without modesty, he was aware of his masculine appeal. His scowling countenance, muscular build, and orange hair attracted boatloads of lusting girls. Like any normal good looking guy with a healthy set of hormones—when he had an itch, he agreed to an occasional one-night stand to scratch that itch.

However, his bachelor days were numbered as soon as he had met Rukia. His itch now revolved around his physical, mental, and spiritual craving of her_, and for her alone only_. She was his moon, who anchored the world around him to give it more meaning. Rukia meant more to him than anything in the world. And he wanted her to have the whole 9 yards: the ring, the wedding, the flowers, and their first time making love on their wedding night.

He was thankful that she was so naïve when it came to passion, and that they had a long distance relationship. Because of that distance, Ichigo had been able to uphold his promise to wait before partaking of the passion that he knew lurked beneath her untried body. So many times, he had been on the precipice of tossing out his ideals and promises of waiting out the window. But somehow, he always managed to bank the fires in time before she got wind of it. She was oblivious to the amount of times he needed a cold shower to cool his ardor, or the countless times he had dreamed of her naked and in his arms.

Unfortunately, ever since seeing Rukia in person again—after what Orihime had done to him—was like seeing her for the first time in his life. Ichigo was standing upon a razor edge of self control in keeping his lust reigned in. His eyes cataloged every single detail about her, and her scent was so amazingly heavenly he just wanted to purr and nuzzle her gorgeous neck.

Seeing the hungry intent look Ichigo was giving her bikini clad body, Rukia blushed. After showing up, he had been very uncharacteristically abrupt in his dialogue. Regardless of his sharp words though, his eyes told another story. He seemed incapable of taking his eyes off her.

In addition, Ichigo had never been the touchy feely type, but suddenly he couldn't stop feeling her up and down. A stroke here, a caress there, a long nuzzle at her shoulder, a carefully hidden pat or squeeze to her bottom, and a brush of his arm against hers. Inwardly puzzled by his uncharacteristic behavior, nevertheless Rukia chose not to question his actions and instead unabashedly basked in the obvious appreciation of his attention instead.

His absolute absorption of her was making her a little giddy, hot, and nervously achy. So she dragged him into the water with her to play some water games to break up the heavy tension that was growing by leaps and bounds between them. When another attempt at dunking him didn't work, she leaped onto his waist trying to knock him over. The results by far were completely opposite of what she expected. Rather than continue on their water warfare, he kept her legs locked around his waist and quickly headed around a bend in the rocks along the beach hidden from the eyes of the other beach goers.

Puzzled, she would have questioned him on his attentions. But before she could open her mouth, she found she couldn't talk much less breathe as Ichigo suddenly ravaged her mouth voraciously unlike any kiss he had given before. Rukia was instantly swimming on the overpowering raw passion and arousal that he was forcing on her untutored body. However unexpected his actions were, she soon became a very willing recipient. Happily following his lead, she relaxed fully into his arms and mouth as he coaxed her tongue into his mouth and suckled seductively.

Long breath stealing moments later when he withdrew his tongue from her mouth, he ran the edge of his teeth along her neck and shoulder. Her body tingled at the unfamiliar feeling. Before she knew his intentions, he had covertly slid one bikini top aside revealing one plump breast for the first time to his gaze.

She would have covered herself immediately in maidenly protest if he hadn't launched a full scale attack upon her uncovered breast. The only sound that escaped her was a slight squeak, and then a long drawn out moan as he suckled on her nipple like he was desperate for nurturing. Feeling as if she might faint, her vision blurring, she fell limp against his chest. After some time, she snapped out of her daze and hissed in a slight sound of pain when he nibbled too hard around her breast. He stiffened immediately at the telltale sound, and that was the signal for Ichigo to withdraw in belated concern.

Gulping hard, Rukia tried to find her voice. When she was finally able to gather her wits again, Ichigo had pulled her bikini top up to conceal her breast. It barely covered all the love marks he had left, but at least she was decently covered.

Staring wide eyed at him in disappointment, she naively asked, "Why did you stop?"

Chuckling at her endearing reply and her willingness to continue, he kissed her deeply again. Unable to control himself, he lowered his swimming trunks slightly and reached behind her to grip his cock. As he kissed her out of her senses once again, he pumped sight unseen below the salty waters.

Clueless as to what Ichigo was doing to himself; Rukia returned all the passion with complete abandon. A short time later and without any warning, Ichigo pulled away briefly to bury his head in her shoulder as he moaned her name. Surprised by the shudders racking his frame, Rukia tried to pull away and look into Ichigo's eyes, but he resisted until she could hear his panting breaths level out.

As if it was ripped unwillingly from him, he emphatically exclaimed, "God, Rukia, I love you so much."

He wanted to bury his face in the curve of her neck and hold on to her forever.

Her skin was warm, and she smelled so alive. When Ichigo could hear the vein pulse in her neck, he captured her flesh between his teeth in a rough nibble. Blood flowed beneath the surface, calling him.

All at once he jerked his mouth away, as he became deeply afraid of hurting her. When he had come hard in the water just moments ago, he had to grit his teeth hard because everything in him was screaming at him to bite Rukia. His jaw ached to puncture that beautiful flawless skin and taste her blood, and his mouth positively watered at the imagined texture. Ichigo could still taste her skin, smell it too.

_Little did she know how close she came to dying by his hands that day._

_o0o0o0o_

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-- 6 MONTHS BEFORE --

Each day that had passed since Orihime had tricked him into her poisonous cocktail had him growing ever more edgy and aggressive as the end of the month drew near. Until all hell broke loose one night and he tore into a male that had dared lay a hand his girl. With an instinctive growl he had jumped at the man and beat the tar out of him. It took 5 other male guests to pull him off of the unfortunate player.

Ichigo could see the concern on Rukia's face, but her noble upbringing withheld her from voicing any questions or comments in such a public setting. Grabbing her wrists he hurried her out to the lobby and waited impatiently while their evening coats were retrieved. Outside, while they waited for the valet bring around Ichigo's car, Ichigo turned to Rukia and clutched her tightly to his chest.

His skin felt so tight, and now that they were out in the open air again he could breath in the fresh air. The scents and emotions brimming at the part assaulted all his senses until he could barely understand any of the spoken conversations inside. All he could think about was throwing Rukia over his shoulder and running outside where he could see the full moon. He didn't understand what was going on, but his mind and thoughts were swimming with the need for something and someone.

The only reason he lasted an hour into the party was because Rukia had been near. With her by his side, he could smell and drown in her essence enough to ignore everything else around him to degree. That was until that lack witted idiot had attempted to brush a hand supposedly on accident along the curvature of her breasts.

While Ichigo eyed Rukia's unconscious form, his mating instincts remained undiminished. Although he liked the feeling of her clawing his back in unrestrained passionate abandon, he felt the uncontrollable drive to take her now lest someone steal her away from him.

Ichigo was beyond any feelings of remorse, driven by a higher power and the instinct to claim his mate. Abruptly, he flipped Rukia's oblivious form over, and then kneeled in between her legs. With a clawed hand, he absently ran his nails lightly down her flawless pale back—leaving long scratch marks, and then kneaded her luscious buttocks. She was perfect in every way, shape, or form.

Unable to hold back any longer, he tore off his shirt and ripped open his pants. After dropping both his pants and drawers, he lifted Rukia's hips up with one arm wrapped under her hips. Then with one his other hand gripping his cock, he ran the tip along her feminine folds up and down to distribute some of the lingering moistness from her earlier orgasms. Just when he was about to forcibly thrust himself home within . . . something drew his attention out of the corner of his eye. He paused and turned his head fully to look in the dresser mirror facing him from the side of the bed.

For a span of a second, shock shook him down to his marrow as he observed any resemblance to his normal appearance had completely changed. His eyes were glowing a beastial yellow, and his body was fast transitioning into some sort of half man, half beast.

When he looked away from the horrific image of himself, he looked down his body and realized how far he had gone as he saw his cock pressing tightly against the unchartered gates of Rukia's womanhood. Completely aghast at his beastly intentions, he jerked away.

The room . . . it began to feel too stifling and claustrophobia set in. So Ichigo ran to the balcony doors, half crazed at the urgency that was pounding him to either rip into Rukia's exposed neck or to claw down the walls for open space. Without warning, his mouth started to pool as he imagined the taste of Rukia's flesh and blood in his mouth. When he pushed both balcony doors opened he tilted his head back and inhaled deeply of the night air. As his eyes opened, his gaze met the unclouded full moon hanging directly above. Before he could take another breath, pain shot through his body and he collapsed to his knees. His joints started to pop and his body began to knot up. It was pain unlike any he could imagine. Every shred of his being felt like it was being ripped apart, and he lay panting on the cool floor struggling to just breathe.

_He would fight this . . . thing. More than anything else, he wanted to be with Rukia. And he wanted to be whole for her. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he hurt her._

_o0o0o0o_

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A/N:

Hmm, not quite 5k words, but close.

Sorry about the delay. Back injuries, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, a sick munchkin, Halloween, elections, meetings, loopy hormonal drugs, project deadlines, a fever, and etc kept me pretty busy. I know this chapter wasn't quite up to par, and I'm not happy with it. So I apologize for loosing the writing mojo. It's not quite back yet, but hopefully all the upcoming smut will bring it back slowly as my hacking coughs hopefully disappear sometime in the near future.

By the way, I don't hate Orihime. I may have been cheering for Ulquiora to rip out her heart in the manga, but that's beside the point. Really, I don't hate her. It's my belief she serves a higher purpose in Bleach. There's always one dimwit that furthers the villains evil plans unintentionally, and she'll be the one.

Please review and let me know what you thought of the latest chapter. I hope you enjoyed learning about Ichigo's furry origins. Surprised? Originally, I had just had a couple lines about Ichigo getting attacked on a camping trip, but it would have been too cliché so I decided on this explanation. I know a couple of readers mentioned the implausibility of Rukia being so innocent in this story. So this chapter was to explain the reason for that as well.

This horror story pays homage to the old gothic romances where the heroine was always completely naïve and innocent. The stories where there was always a level of uncertainty on whether the main male was good or not. Anyways, even though this time period is placed in contemporary times, this story harkens back to that ambivalent type of tone. Light vs dark, sweet vs violent, and naiveté vs cunning mastery. How far can the heroine trust blindly in the hero?

**Next Chapter:** Continuation of where we left off after Rukia . . . er . . . got impaled in more ways than one.

Expect some delays for the next release; I'm going to work on my next "_Dream of Me"_ chapter for a while. My shoulders are starting to tense from the invisible pitchforks prodding at my back from all the _Dream_ readers out there.

As always, a special thanks goes out to all the reviewers. Your support is particularly encouraging in light of my current injuries and illness. My DH is forever trying to get me to quit writing, so it's been a difficult road to continue.


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